A Cut Above the Rest: 10 of the Best JRPG Hairstyles

Character design is something I’ve been particularly interested in since I started gaming. I’m always fascinated to see concept art from various stages of development to get an idea of how a particular character’s appearance evolves over time. If a game I love has an art book, you might as well take my money now!

Japanese RPGs in particular are synonymous with bizarre, colourful, impractical, or even downright impossible hairstyles, and I wanted to highlight 10 of my favourite JRPG hairstyles. These are not in any rank or order because, honestly, they’re all as silly as each other. It’s also worth noting that this list is by no means exhaustive—there are enough crazy hairstyles in JRPGs to fill a much longer list or maybe even a book. So, without further ado, let’s grab our hairspray and curlers and dive right in…

Selphie Tilmitt (Final Fantasy VIII)

Selphie is a highlight from the cast of Final Fantasy VIII (my favourite FF, in case you didn’t know). Her positivity and enthusiasm in the face of danger are admirable and a tiny ray of light when the odds are stacked against you. As if that doesn’t make her likeable enough, she’s also an ace spaceship pilot. Ever since her character design was unveiled in the late ’90s, it’s been one of my favourites in the series, and that is due in no small part to her hairstyle (though her weapon type is also one of my favourites). I wonder if the gravity of FFVIII’s world is lesser than we’re accustomed to here on Earth, because I have no idea how her curls stay so large and buoyant all the time. Either that or she has some serious hair product. Who knows, but her fun and frivolous hairstyle perfectly fits her charming, bubbly personality.

Fiore Brunelli (Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness)

Star Ocean’s fifth mainline game is probably the worst-received of the series. Though somewhat deserved, I do think the hate for this game is exaggerated; I had a great time with it, and this is in no small part down to its cast of characters. The team of seven party members all feel unique with interesting personalities, motivations, and backgrounds, and I enjoyed how everyone fights together in battles. It gives encounters such a frantic energy that it can occasionally be a little too much, but hey, it’s really fun. Fiore Brunelli is the party’s offensive mage and connoisseur of high fashion. Her outfit is one of the most risqué in series history, and her hair is some of the fullest! How does that much hair sprout from one person’s head? Who knows. How does she keep her pigtails in such perfect big curls? Who knows! What I do know is that she looks great and must have some seriously big rollers.

Regal Bryant (Tales of Symphonia)

Regal is the resident bad boy (with a heart of gold) in Tales of Symphonia. Bad boy with great abs and a rocking ’80s style hairdo. Tales of Symphonia was clearly way ahead of its time in trying to bring the mullet back into fashion; It only took 20 years to catch on with the general population. Namco wanted to push the mullet revival so hard that they brought it back again for Luke in Tales of the Abyss in a fiery red color. It’s not only his hair, either. Regal single-handedly re-introduced men to another iconic piece of ’80s fashion—crop tops. With much of Symphonia’s cast going for a frumpy cloak/jacket outfit with spikey hair, Regal’s look is a cool switch-up. Regal Bryant: criminal, martial artist, trendsetter.

Wakka (Final Fantasy X)

Okay so, this entry was a toss-up between Wakka and Zell, key purveyors of the Final Fantasy tall quiff. Wakka’s looks bigger so he got the spot. I’m certainly fond of Final Fantasy X, though I find it lacking compared to the epic run of VII through IX on the previous console generation. I didn’t get as attached to its cast, and the very linear world felt like a step backward. Similar to Final Fantasy VIII’s world, I have questions about the gravity of Spira because that quiff is seemingly indestructible. Wakka must have access to some really great hair products. Even when he plays blitzball underwater, his hair is still going strong. How does he do it? We will probably never know…and maybe that’s for the best. Whatever the secret is, maybe it’s also responsible for holding up all of Lulu’s belts. 

Hortensia (Fire Emblem Engage)

Fire Emblem Engage is the most recent entry in the long-running Fire Emblem series. Like many other current FE fans, I got into this franchise relatively recently with Fire Emblem Awakening, and have experienced a great selection of hairstyles and outfits across the various games since. Coming up top as one of my favourites is Hortensia, a character who initially acts as a villain but eventually joins your side (I certainly didn’t see that coming…). I assume she models her hair on candy canes—the striped shocking and pastel pink, the twisted looped way it’s tied in a bow. It gives sugary treat vibes, which matches her hyped-up, vivacious energy. Hortensia’s hair isn’t necessarily unrealistic by our standards, but it certainly seems it for the in-game world. Where is her salon? Why do no NPCs have hair in crazy colours? Perhaps it’s a DIY job, and she also does Alear’s red and blue style.

Nahobino (Shin Megami Tensei V)

In a game where everyone else has boring hair, why not want more for yourself? Enter the Nahobino, envy of wig-makers and drag queens everywhere. The fifth entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series is overall very bleak in its setting, so the iconic, vibrant design of the main character brings an interesting contrast. This guy has the most elegant, luscious, well-conditioned hair out of everyone on this list. Whenever you move in SMTV, that hair flows like water, as if it has a mind of its own. I wonder if it ever gets in the way when swinging a sword or making a particularly large jump. It is very long, and I know it would get on my nerves. Either way, surely those gorgeous locks help charm and win demons over in a negotiation…or maybe intimidate them with its fabulosity. Unfortunately, using your hair in that way is not an option in-game, but I feel not having any mechanic attached to it is a missed opportunity.

Sheba (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

Sheba is my favourite Blade from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, at least out of the ones I managed to pull from the game’s gacha system (though you actually pay for Sheba’s core crystal, and she does not come cheap). Not only can she be incredibly strong in battle with the right team and a good amount of gold around, she loves luxury, extravagance, and being included in a team of strong women. I can get on board with all of those things! Her design mirrors her love of money and elegance, especially her element, water. She floats around in a literal bathtub with long blond pigtails ending in curls resembling seashells. Or maybe water swirling down a plughole? How does she make her hair look like that? It’s magic!

Ashley Riot (Vagrant Story)

Ashley Riot, the protagonist of PlayStation cult classic Vagrant Story, is the originator of the impractical spikes that peaked (pardon the pun) in popularity with Seymour in Final Fantasy X. In general, his design is great and a bit of an outlier in this list of JRPG hairstyles, as it goes for a much more naturalistic vibe rather than the anime-ish style seen in many of these other character designs. This is also reflective of the game’s Ivalice setting (seen in Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics as well). I think his appearance is one of the few on this list which is actually cool, and if I could replicate this hairstyle myself, maybe I would. Maybe. It just isn’t possible when we have to work within the laws of physics (something the creators of many JRPG hairstyles do not worry about), which is probably a good thing. I do wonder how much attention other characters would give his hair in-game though, when he is walking around wearing ass-less shorts?! I’m not sure which is more distracting.

Aika (Skies of Arcadia)

While not developed by Square Enix or designed by Tetsuya Nomura, Aika from Skies of Arcadia clearly has been taking notes from our other gravity-defying entries on this list—Selphie and Wakka. Unfortunately, Skies of Arcadia is not a game I’ve played, having generally been a PlayStation gamer myself, but if SEGA ever wanted to treat us to a remaster, I’d be all over it. I have only heard great things about this game, and I feel I’m missing out. Aika sports some cool plaited pigtails that stand straight out from her head and, alongside her outfit, seem very fitting for a pirate! The shape of her hair mirrors her weapon of choice too—a boomerang. That’s a neat bit of character design there from Itsuki Hoshi. Perhaps she stood in a strong wind for a long time, and her hair just stayed like that.

Piers (Pokémon Sword & Shield)

The Pokémon series is absolutely jam-packed with crazy hairstyles. Honestly, it was hard for me to just choose one. Ultimately, I went with Piers from Pokémon Sword & Shield because when I saw him, I questioned if it was even hair. While this generation of the monster-catching juggernaut is not the most well-liked in the series, I enjoyed it, and as a British resident, I found the inspirations taken from the UK to create Galar fun to see. But back to Piers. I just do not understand what is going on here. How can this be his hair?! A hat maybe, I could believe that. How does it have random spikes? How does it have such neat black and white stripes? It looks like a sea creature latched onto his cranium [Editor’s Note: Is it subtle Splatoon cross-promotion?]. For weirdness, this one probably wins.

Special Mention: Snow Villiers (Final Fantasy XIII-2)

I couldn’t create a list about JRPG hairstyles without bestowing an honourable mention to one of the most hideous hairstyles I have ever witnessed. Now, I hold the unpopular opinion that Snow is actually a decent character. Maybe his handsomeness has something to do with it, but I certainly don’t mind him and found him to be one of the better members of Final Fantasy XIII‘s cast. While his hairstyle is not bad in FFXIII and is actually very good in Lightning Returns, it is absolutely awful in FFXIII-2. Is it a mullet, and why does he have sideburns like that? What hairdresser did this to him and thought it was a good idea? Hooo boy, it’s just a mistake. Please, reader, if you ever want to go into your hair salon with a photo of Snow from FFXIII-2 as your inspiration, think again!